Five Things People Know About Wu And One They Don't
by Fenice158
Summary: Nick looked guiltily over at him, "I was trying to protect you." "By letting me check myself into a psychiatric hospital?"


_**1) He loves cats**_

* * *

It had been a bad day. Scratch that, it had been a bad _week_. The case he had been working on was brutal. He could still see her face, a sweet innocent child laying lifeless in the mud.

"These cases are always the worst," his partner had said. The whole precinct seemed to be affected. The resolution of the case had brought no relief for there had never been any chance to save her.

"She was only seven…" Wu gritted through his teeth, disgust evident in every line of his face. He stared unseeing at the inside of his locker. It was the end of their shift and he was supposed to change and go home, but he couldn't seem to move. He felt drained and yet so filled with anger he thought he might explode.

"Go home, Wu. Find a distraction. Some way to cope. You're a rookie now but it never gets any easier. You need… something," he had finished helplessly.

Wu nodded automatically and started changing on autopilot. He didn't know how to cope with something like this, but if he was going to break down he didn't want it to happen at the precinct.

When he got to the parking lot he noticed it was raining again. It had done little else all week. He got into his car and turned the radio on. Find a distraction, Cole had said, but Wu only wanted to smash something and listening to cheerful music somehow only made him angrier. He turned it off.

He realized as he was driving that he wasn't really focused on the road and the thought that he was endangering himself and anyone else that crossed his path briefly occurred to him. He doubled his efforts to concentrate, trying to push away all other thoughts, but it was difficult.

When he parked in front of his apartment building he took a moment to breathe and be thankful that he hadn't ended up in an accident. There were blanks in his mind that told him he hadn't really been watching the road all the way here and that scared him. He stepped out of the car and into the rain. He didn't have an umbrella with him but in just a few steps he'd be safe inside the building. He stopped on the sidewalk. Safe inside an empty apartment with nothing but his mind for company. Should he call a friend? Maybe go out? Or put a movie on to distract himself? Somehow all those options were unappealing. He wanted to be alone and he didn't want to think but he doubted there was anything that could distract him from the anger and sadness that filled him.

Without thinking he started walking. Had he been less distraught he would have laughed at the cliché of walking in the rain but he kept going. Moving made him feel like he was letting off some steam and his pace quickened. Rushing away from a harsh reality he couldn't really escape.

For the first time he hated his job.

For the first time he questioned ever becoming a cop.

He stopped in his tracks. Wasn't caring about the people they tried to help part of being a good cop? It was for him even if it was painful. Not being able to help was the occasional downside and it could hurt a lot when you cared, especially if it was out of your hands.

Was it worth it?

As rain poured down on him, drenching him and making him shiver he realized that it _was_ worth it. Because good cops could make the difference. Because that little girl was going to get justice even if it was too late to save her.

Drew nodded to himself, eyes burning with tears. He wiped them futilely away and suddenly realized two things, he had walked quite a way from home and was going to catch one hell of a cold if he didn't do some damage control.

Of course that was when he heard it.

A high-pitched sound. Twice. At first he thought it was a bird, but when it came again and started gaining volume he realized it couldn't be. Whatever creature was making it was growing more and more distressed. He turned around, identifying the source of the noise in the alley behind him. He couldn't see anything besides a couple dumpsters but as he walked the noise grew stronger. He made a face and opened the first dumpster. The awful smell that invested him made him recoil a bit but he looked inside. He couldn't see much but the noise hadn't picked up. He closed it and crouched down in front of it. Once again the noise grew louder. He moved to look between the two dumpsters and saw something move.

It was so small that at first he thought it might be a mouse. Luckily the rain was down to a drizzle. He rummaged in his jacket pockets for the small flashlight he always carried with him to shine some light on the small figure.

It was a kitten. The smallest kitten he had ever seen. Its eyes were closed and judging by the still attached umbilical cord it was an orphan. No more than a day old, for sure. Drew didn't know a lot about cats but common sense told him a kitten so young couldn't live long without its mother. He cradled it in his hands and the poor little thing meowed softly and crawled around in the small space as if looking for something. Drew looked around once more. The mother was nowhere to be seen.

Following an impulse Drew cradled the kitten to his chest with one hand, covering it a bit with his jacket to protect it from the wind. The rain had finally stopped.

"Don't worry, we're going home."

In the years to come he often wondered what had possessed him in that moment. He had never been much of an impulsive person. Sometimes he blamed the fever.

What followed was ten days of sick leave during which he had a high fever and an awful cough, was told twice the kitten wasn't going to live no matter his efforts, found a good veterinarian that gave him a crash course into raising a one day old kitten, felt like a new father every time the kitten woke him up for a feeding and lost count of how many times the good veterinarian warned him something could be life threatening.

The kitten always pulled through.

Drew read a lot about cats on the web, joined a few groups that helped him with a lot of information and discovered his kitten was a male.

"All orange cats are male," the veterinarian explained as they went for a visit on the tenth day. The kitten had opened his eyes for the first time that morning. "Are you going to keep him?"

"Yes, of course," Drew rushed to say. He didn't think he could ever let him go after all they had been through. He loved him too much already.

The veterinarian smiled at him, "What's his name?"

Drew had been thinking about that.

"Samson."

A strong name for a strong kitten.

Samson grew up into a strong, beautiful cat. Drew spoiled him with lots of toys to keep him entertained when he wasn't home and Samson rewarded him with unwavering affection.

Nothing could bring Drew out of a funk faster than Samson crawling up on his shoulders and nuzzling his face as he purred happily.

* * *

 _ **2) He is smart**_

* * *

Drew's parents moved to Seattle for work when he was about to start high school. Leaving Manila was hard. Most of his family lived there and so did all of his friends.

"I know change is scary, Drew, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Lots of good can come from it if you see it like an opportunity," his father told him, "And I promise we'll visit as often as we can and I'll set everything up so you can keep in touch with your friends."

Drew knew his father was just trying to make him feel better but it all worked out surprisingly well. He kept in touch with his friends and family. Made lots of new friends. Obtained a double citizenship. Went to college.

He enrolled in a dual-degree program in English and Computer Science at the University of Washington. Whether he did because he was too undecided between the two things or a masochist was still unclear. He spent two years and a half at UW before moving to Portland to study English at Reed College.

Once there, he quickly fell in love with the city and after graduation decided to follow his true vocation and enrolled at the police academy.

"In a few years you'll be running the precinct," Franco told him when Wu was appointed sergeant.

"Nah, I like my job. I don't want to get off the streets to deal with politics and journalists. Let someone else handle that crap," Drew said.

"You'll be kind of running it anyway. Plus you'll be in charge of training all the rookies."

"Yes, I will," and if Drew had a slightly evil glint in his eyes when he said it, that just made Franco grin harder in response.

* * *

 _ **3) He is a hard-ass**_

* * *

"Who did you get as training officer?"

Nick Burkhardt looked up from where he was tying his shoes to see his friend Jim standing there ready to go, "Sergeant Wu."

"Oh, you're in trouble, man."

Nick frowned, standing up and brushing away non-existent lint from his uniform, "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you heard anything about him at the academy?"

"Uh… no?"

"I heard he makes rookies _cry_. He's a hard-ass. You won't last the week."

Nick rolled his eyes, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You'll see."

Nick didn't.

At the end of his first week with sergeant Wu the only thing he had seen was a very competent police officer from whom he felt he could learn a lot. Sergeant Wu was strict, but he was never unfair. Nick had wanted to be a cop for a long time so he put all his energies into proving himself. He wasn't sure, but after a few weeks he started thinking maybe the sergeant even liked him.

"I have cookies. In my bag," Nick awkwardly declared as he passed sergeant Wu his coffee. Wu had stopped the patrol car in front of a coffee shop before heading back to the precinct. It was the end of their shift and it had been a long night.

Wu raised an eyebrow at him. He did that a lot. Nick had come to realize sergeant Wu had nailed the Sarcastic Eyebrow. It was possible he had a patent on it.

Nick rummaged in his gear bag and took out a paper bag. He opened it and inclined it towards the sergeant in an offer.

Wu narrowed his eyes, "You know I'm immune to bribery, right?"

Nick couldn't help smiling, "Yeah, I know," he said, just as sergeant Wu took one out and bit into it, "You have a reputation," he finished in a barely hearable mutter.

"What?" Wu asked, covering his mouth so as not to spill crumbs all over the car.

"My aunt made them. She's visiting for a week."

"She told you to share with the class?"

Nick shrugged. She had told him to offer them to his training officer as a thank you for putting up with him, but he wasn't going to share _that_. Sergeant Wu was already looking at him like he _knew_ somehow.

"Tell her thanks from me. These are really good," and he helped himself to a second one.

* * *

 _ **4) He is a good friend**_

* * *

Drew Wu was the kind of friend you could count on. He didn't think it was anything to be particularly proud of but he liked that about himself. It was a choice. That was the kind of person he _wanted_ to be. Sometimes people took advantage of him, that was true. Sometimes, though, he was pleasantly surprised by what he got in return.

So when Hank's second wife cheated on him after only six months of marriage he offered him a place to stay while he looked for a new apartment. Drew had a pull-out bed in his couch so it wasn't any trouble and he knew Hank couldn't stand being at his house for a minute longer.

When his cousin opened up his restaurant, Drew lent him a little money to help him but refused to get it back when the restaurant picked up. As a thank you from Angelo, Wu was welcome to enjoy a free meal that tasted just like home whenever he wanted.

When Nick was afraid he wouldn't pass his detective exam, Drew helpfully scoffed at him and then proceeded to quiz him. Of course than he had to explain to an awed Nick that, no, he didn't want to be a detective, thank you very much. He liked his job.

When Drew found himself with a broken leg just in time for Thanksgiving, he resigned himself to spending the holiday at home with Samson, because flying out to visit his parents would have been too much of a hassle. He was very surprised when early that morning Nick showed up at his apartment armed with a _huge_ turkey. Juliette and Hank were right behind him, holding bags of groceries.

"I hope your oven is big enough," Nick said, "because I might have miscalculated a bit."

Juliette rolled her eyes, "This is what happens when he goes grocery shopping."

"We're going to eat turkey for _weeks_ ," Hank warned him as they all invaded his home and started making dinner.

It was one of the best Thanksgiving Drew had ever had, even if they did all end up eating turkey leftovers for a week after.

* * *

 _ **5) He checked himself into a psychiatric hospital**_

* * *

"Wu?" Nick called for his attention. He had finally explained everything to him and Drew was still torn between relief that he wasn't crazy and disbelief that this was actually his life. He looked up and Nick handed him a key.

"What's that for?"

"It's for the trailer. Feel free to come here whenever you need to make sense of stuff or if you're just curious to read more."

Wu took the key. Hank had gone out to grab something to eat now that the worst part of telling him was over. Wu could use some food right now, but there was still something unsettling him.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me?"

Nick looked guiltily over at him, "I was trying to protect you."

"By letting me check myself into a psychiatric hospital?"

"It's not like you consulted me on that one!" Nick retorted than sighed, "Listen, I wanted to tell you when the whole thing with the Aswang took place, but there were too many people around at your friend's house and after I was already too late. You wouldn't have believed me! If one of your doctors heard me I would have ended up in the room next to yours."

"What about when I got out?"

Nick shrugged, "You know the first time I told Juliette about this she thought I was crazy? She told me I needed help. I couldn't really imagine that conversation going any better with you. Then you were after Trubel and I needed to protect her and then I wasn't a Grimm anymore and I just didn't know what to do. I kept telling myself you were better off not knowing."

Wu shook his head, "Being kept in the dark doesn't strike me like the safest option," he got up, suddenly angry, "You know what pisses me off the most? All these years, I thought we were friends-"

"We are!" Nick interrupted him.

"You didn't treat me like one! After the Aswang I would have believed anything you told me and you know why? Because I trust you! But you didn't trust _me_! All I needed was an explanation, just like tonight."

"I screwed up," Nick admitted in a defeated tone.

"Yeah, you did."

"I'm sorry, Drew."

Wu looked up at him. Nick rarely used his first name even though they had stopped pretending they were just colleagues a long time ago. His eyes were suspiciously shining, which made Wu feel better. At least he wasn't the only emotional one. He nodded, accepting the apology.

"I've never had a family, not until I came to Portland. I loved my aunt but it was lonely sometimes. Then I came here and found you and Juliette and Hank. My aunt told me to cut people out, leave Juliette. I didn't want to make that sacrifice, even when I realized you were all in danger just because you _knew_ me. I know it's selfish but…"

"It's okay to want people in your life, Nick."

"With all this…" Nick gestured to the trailer around them, as if he could encompass all that being a Grimm meant, consequences included, "Sometimes I wonder how long before you all leave."

Nick was the kind of person who rarely let himself show any weakness. On the rare occasions he opened up about something his raw honesty had always struck Drew.

"We've made it so far, I think it's clear you're not getting rid of any of us easily," he said and was rewarded with a tentative smile.

The door of the trailer opening distracted them from any residual awkwardness.

"I brought food!" Hank announced cheerfully.

"Your timing is suspiciously perfect," Drew noted, narrowing his eyes at the other man.

"I'm awesome like that," Hank cheekily replied as he handed out burgers. Nick quickly took a huge bite of his. Drew suspected it was more desire to move past the moment of vulnerability than hunger driving him.

"Whatever you need to tell yourself," he drily retorted and got a fry thrown at his face.

* * *

 _ **+1) He crossed paths with a Grimm before**_

* * *

Decapitated.

Two men decapitated in the middle of a park. That was something he never thought he'd see.

He used the radio to call for backup then turned to his rookie.

"Burkhardt? You done saying goodbye to your aunt's cookies?"

"Yes," Nick said arriving armed with tape so they could contain the crime scene, "Sorry, sergeant."

Wu waved him off. At least he had been prompt and ran away so as not to contaminate the scene. Wu couldn't really blame him.

"Let's get to work. I can't wait to tell the detectives they have a medieval assassin on their hands."


End file.
